My Heart to Save
by tashasmiless
Summary: Tessa is caught in a horrible situation. What will happen if no one is there to save her? WILLXTESSA rape and lemons. This is my first fanfiction. be gentle. R&R
1. The anguish

He smiled wickedly, moving closer towards her.  
>She stiffened, unsure of what to do next, he was so close, to close.<p>

"Please, stay where you are, I don't want to have to hurt you." She said unassertively.

The tall lanky figured took another step forward. His smile grew more gruesome, out stretching his arm; he pointed towards her, and beckoned her to come.

Tessa stepped back, she didn't understand why this man was following her in the first place, let alone staring at her creepily. She looked around for a clear exit, she could turn and run, but then she'd find herself in the dark corners of London, a place no lady should be without the company of a gentleman.

"You better stay back" Clary said as her voice shook. "I…I'm warning you…"

The man's smile changed into a deep frown, he crouched down, bending at the knees, preparing to launch himself at her…

Tessa screamed, if she was going to die, she would scream the loudest anyone has ever heard. Help me she thought as the man jump on top of her. He dug his fingers into the soft flesh of her bosom. His hand clamped around her jaw and twisted her face towards his, forcing his lips upon hers. She brought her hands up trying to push him off of her, but he wouldn't budge.

"S..Stop.." Tessa whimpered. "I'll do anything"

"You already are love." the man teased as he lifted up her skirts, reaching for her woman hood. His mouth, biting roughly at her neck left bruises. She cried out in pain trying to get away.

Growing frustrated with the layers that Tessa wore, the man pulled out a knife. Tessa yelp in surprise and panic, was this man going to kill her after he is done with her? She shut her eyes and began to pray. She prayed for her brother to find her and save her. As she waited for the pain, she only heard the tearing of fabric and the cool London air hit her bare skin. As she lay there in the dirty ally, in nothing but her under garments, that were soon to be yanked off her as well.

"Please sir… you don't want to do this. I'm begging –"she was cut off. With a loud gasp she cried out, the man had placed a finger inside her and began thrusting roughly. The pain was intense, Tessa began to cringe, but refused to cry, this man will not see her tears. The man forced his mouth onto hers once more and shoved his tongue into her mouth, vile, he tasted of rum and tobacco.

"You're so tight" he said as he pushed a second finger inside her, without hesitation he began to thrust faster.

"Please…" she breathed. "it hurts.."

"The fun just started" taking one of her nipples in his mouth he began to suck and bite down on her sensitive nub. With his right hand thrusting inside of her womanhood, his left hand caressed and pulled harshly at her opposite breast.

"Are you ready love? This is going to hurt"

"No…wait!" Tessa shouted. It was too late; the man had placed himself at her entrance and began rubbing his member up and down against her folds. He plunged in, without hesitation, thrust his full length inside. Blood trickled down. The pain was overwhelming. He sucked on her nipple, whilst thrusting wildly.

"You feel like heaven" he groaned "I could fuck you forever" The man flipped her over onto her stomach, and pulled her bottom up towards him. He placed his member at her entrance once more and sheathed himself inside her. Tessa began to cry as he pounded into her, her knees ached and the man's nails were digging into her hips. She cursed herself for crying, she wanted to be stronger than that, but the shame and pain were too much.

"Please! Stop!" She screamed. The man laughed and grabbed a fistful of Tessa's beautiful long brown hair, and cupped one of her small tender breasts in his hands.

"Scream for me! How it makes me cum faster!" She shouted as his thrusts became more frantic, rough, and faster. He squeezed her breast tightly, letting go of her hair he gripped her hip and used more leverage to go harder.

Tessa's eyes jumped open, she began to scream, the man was going to finish inside of her. Her shoes, dug into the earth, her knee raised…

"You little bitch!" the man cried as she kicked him away from her. She got to her feet and started to run, it didn't matter where she would end up, and anywhere is safer then here.

As she exited the ally, she ran down the street naked, screaming for help. She could hear the man running after her, his shoes scrapping against the cobblestone street.

Then she heard a thud.


	2. The heros

"Excuse me miss, you seemed to have dropped something" A gentle voice said from behind Tessa.

Tessa turned, to see a Silver haired boy; he was pale, elegant, and as beautiful as any angel in the sky. She looked down at her rapist being pinned under his foot. All she could do was stare in awe, he had saved her, she was safe now. Upon realizing she was naked her face turned a deep crimson red, and attempted to cover herself.

"Don't be embarrassed, I wasn't peeping inappropriately." He said with a smile "But you might want to cover yourself before my friend comes, he will, sadly, be very inappropriate." The boy removed his blazer and tossed it towards her, unmoving his foot from the man's back. While putting it on shouts from down the road could be heard.

"Jem! You won't believe what I just saw!" the voice shouted behind her, Tessa spun around and meeting the clear blue eyes of a tall, very wet, boy. She was blown away by his eyes; Tessa felt as if they were looking into her soul, all she wanted to do was stare back at them, to be lost in their beauty. His suit was soaked and his hair matted to his angular face. If the first boy, Jem, she now knew, looked as if he was an angel, this new boy looked as if he was from the opposite end.

"Ahh, what have you come across my dear Jem?" the boy snickered "Leave the girl to her work."

Her heart dropped. Someone so beautiful was capable of this cruelty? This confirms it, her hunch was correct.

"William Herondale" Jem breathed "She is not-"but Jem was cut off, the man, attempting to escape, pushed off the ground and began to take off with a staggered run. Once the man got far enough he turned to face the three of them, pulled out a knife.  
>"Just leave me the girl, and nobody gets hurt" he demanded "The little bitch and I aren't done"<p>

Tessa flinched at his use of words. How was Tessa so foul? She was merely defending herself against him... Who forced himself on her. She walked forward slowly, head bent downward in shame, she did not want these nice boys who saved her to be hurt on her accord.

"Stop. Don't go any closer to him." said Jem. "Will and I won't let this man hurt you any longer miss."

"Wait what's going on?" Will asked "Isn't this what she does? Whoring?"

"Shut up! Both of you! I wasn't finished back there, I want what is mine!" the man shouted

"I am not yours" Tessa whispered. "You forced yourself upon me"

"Ahhh, now I see. We have a rapist in front of us do we?" Will said wickedly. "Oh Jem, what do you suppose we do with the fellow? Throw him into the Thames?"

"Now Will, Charlotte would be very displeased with us. So I suggest we don't leave any evidence of a body behind" Jem stared coldly at the man.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh. Two little boys like you aren't strong enough to take on a man such as me. The little bitch only got away because she kicked me while I was fucking her from behind." The man burst into a laugh. A disturbing laughter.

Tessa began to cry, and Jem went towards her; holding her close to him for comfort. Will who seemed to be too quick for eyes, appeared behind the man.

"What did you say?" Will spat "Say it again and I will crush your throat."

The man began to open his mouth, but Will wouldn't allow it. He grabbed the back of the man's throat and slammed him to the ground.

"Jem, get the poor girl out of here. I do not wish her to see this." Will said head down, avoiding Tessa's eyes; but she stared at him through the dampness of his hair, she could see the anger in his face. Anger towards the man that hurt her.

But why…?


	3. The Recovery

Jem took hold of Tessa's hand and guided her away from the scene that was soon to unfold.

Tessa looked up at Jem; his head was straight and his eyes dark and full of hatred. The pain between her legs was growing more and more unbearable since her adrenaline had stopped pumping. Collapsing to her knee's she looked up to see Jem was kneeling down beside her with worry.

"Are you alright miss? I'm sorry, I should have asked if you were okay to walk" he said with a worried voice.

"No it's quite alright, I just didn't realize how much pain I was in…" she whispered.

"My name's Jem " he said bowing his head "pleasure to meet you, might I ask what your name is?"

"Call me Tessa" she said with a weak smile on her face "I don't feel very well...um…Jem"

Jem smiled at the use of his name, but was soon too busy catching Tessa as she fainted to return her simple gesture. He picked her up into his arms, walking the dark streets of London to find Thomas and the carriage. Once he arrived at the Institute, Jem was greeted by Charlotte, a very confused Charlotte at that.

"She was attacked and raped; I thought this would be the safest place for her…" Jem told Charlotte.

"Hurry, bring her inside, the poor thing."

oOo

Will whiped his hands on his trousers and began the long walk back to the institute. What kind of monster would want to hurt a young girl? He could not stop thinking of her, her long brown hair, big shining scared..hurt..eyes..

"Damnit!" Will cursed "Why can I not stop thinking about her?"

He left the iron gates of the graveyard behind him, a freshly made grave fading in the distance as he walked farther and farther away. Will was calmer now, but his mind could not escape the fact that he could not stop thinking of this girl. In nothing but his friend's blazer, William was sure his eyes would have wondered elsewhere on the girl, but his gaze rested on her face.

The steps on the Institute were the biggest challenge of his journey home, he knew Jem would bring the girl back here, and there was no question about it. What could Will say to the girl to make her feel safe?

Without realizing it, Will had already walked all the way to the medical ward. He inhaled a large amount of the cool air, as he turned the knob of the door.

oOo

Tessa woke up surrounded by the scent of fresh linen. She slowly opened her eyes, hoping that everything was a dream, or nightmare.

"You've woken up I see." Jem said with a bright smile. Her heart sank. So it was real…

"Thank you for saving me, you and your friend" She said bowing her head "I must be going though." Tessa lifted the crisp sheets off; trying to swing her legs off the side of the bed she was stopped by an unbearable pain. She cringed and tried to hide the pain in her face.

"Are you alright Miss Tessa?" Jem inquired but then paused to turn over his shoulder "Ahh there you are, things go alright with our friend?" He continued with a distasteful tone. "Well, I must inform Charlotte that our sleeping beauty has finally awoken." Jem pushed himself off the chair and shut the door behind him.

Forgetting the pain between her legs looked up to meet the eyes of the boy named Will. She didn't realize she was holding her breath till it was too late. William let out a small chuckle as she scrambled for air.

"Umm… thank you for helping me sir." Tessa said avoiding eye contact, she knew, if she looked into his eyes and tried to talk to him, she would surely turn a darker shade.

Will, on the other hand, had no problem with looking at Tessa, she was beautiful. Will could tell she was still suffering, her eyes were drowning in pain. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, Will reached for her hand, rubbing the back of Tessa's hand tenderly with his thumb.

"I may not know your name, but you need not fear no longer. I am here to protect you. That man will never seek after you." Will said. Tessa looked up at him, he was being so kind to her.

"Tessa.." she squeaked "You can call me Tessa."

"Well then, I, William Herondale, will not let anyone else hurt you. Is that okay Tess?" Will said with a smirk. Tessa's head shot up, and stared right into Will's eyes. No one has ever called her Tess before, she thought.

"I'd like that." She smiled and laid back down into her bed. She felt Will pull the covers up and tuck her in, tonight would be a long night.

"I hope you recover soon Tess." Will said as he smoothed out the blanket where he sat.

"I am starting to feel quite better already." She managed to say just as she dozed off into sleep.

**Oh helloooo, my name is Natasha, I am the author. **

**This is my first fanfiction, I hope you all enjoy it and I look forward to reading your reviews everyday. Thank you so much for your time and opinions.**

**I am hoping to write fanfictions and see if I will ever be good enough to write my own novels someday. Since I feel writing is the only hobby I actually have/ am good at.**

**I will update soon asap.**

**Sincerely,**

**Natasha aka LoveBound~**


	4. The Fears

_Her delicate heels clicked against the cobble stone street. The white dress she wore hung perfectly onto Tessa's petit body. She was wandering the streets, trying to find Will and Jem, but where were they?_

"_William? Jem? Please come out of hiding, this isn't funny anymore!" She shouted. Peering around the corner of a tavern, her heart skipped a beat; there beneath a pile of garbage, lay a body._

_Tessa sucked in a long strong breath, giving her courage to push forward. She knelt down next to the body, removing a piece of cloth away from the face._

_There, were the white eyes of what remained of Tessa, herself. _

_Tessa shrieked, and fell backwards. The body rose from the discarded garbage, the face, her face, was twisted into a smile. Her abdomen was red, soaked with blood. She grabbed Tessa's hand and jerked her onto her feet._

"_Oh dear Tessa, why must you mock me." She said calmly. The corpse of herself dug her hands into her raw and bloody wound, "We can not wear white!" she screamed and spread her bloody hands all over Tessa's white gown. Tessa screamed and backed away._

"_Please… leave me alone!" Tessa cried._

"_Do not fool yourself, what man would want to touch a tainted body, a disturbed soul dear Tessa." The corpse licked her blue lips and took a step towards her. "Will is just being kind to you because he pity's you. He could never love someone he could not fully have. You are one of us now. Dead. Nothing, but a walking corpse."_

"_No… He is a kind person!" _

"_If he was such a kind person, do you think he would be incapable of harming another human being? Yet he killed that man for you…" The corpse sneered._

"_What…. Will killed him? But he was doing it to protect me… not in cold blood..." Tessa told herself. Clenching her fists, placing a firm planted foot behind her, pushed the corpse into the garbage. _

_Tessa turned to run but she was grabbed by the icy fingers of her dead self._

"_Tessa you can never run from me. I AM YOU!" The corpse shouted, ripping Tessa's dress off "You and I are one! You may try to silence me, but you will never be rid of me! I am what remains of your soul!" _

Jerking upwards gasping for air, Tessa soon realized she was still laying in the bed Will had left her in. She rubbed the sweat off her damp forehead and reached for the cup of water resting on the night stand.

"Are you alright? I heard screams and rushed down here to find you having a bit of a terror."

Tessa looked towards where the voice was coming from, the door was opened a crack as light poured through; and standing by the door, was Will.

"Tess, you look awful, here let me" Will said as he picked up a cloth and dabbed it into the cup of water to wash her face, but Tessa jumped back. The cloth looked exactly like the one in her dream, covering the dead body of herself.

"Please… get away from me…"A tear rolling down her cheek. "I am weak; I do not deserve to be taunted with fake kindness"

"Fake kindness? Dear god Tess, you were just raped and hurt badly, you need much more kindness then I have to offer…" his hand ran through his hair as he exhaled. "I would never be cruel enough to play such a trick."

"I…I'm sorry. I did not mean to offend. My nightmare was a horrible one." Tessa dropped her gaze to her hands, her fingers fidgeting with one another.

William sat on the bed opposite of Tessa's.

"Would you mind if I slept here? To keep an eye on you?" Will's sweet smile calmed her nerves allowing her to nod her head and rest back into her bed.

"Thank you Will."

"Tess, can I ask you something?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Do you feel as if we've known each other, as in a past life maybe?"

"I'm not quite sure, what makes you ask that?"

"Nothing, just curiosity." Will yawned and placed his arms over his eyes.

Tessa rolled onto her side to gaze upon Will's sleeping form. The rise and fall of his chest, his lips parting ever so slightly as he inhaled each breathe. He was handsome, Tessa just wondered if her nightmare was true, was he just being nice to her because she had been hurt and defenseless that night? Or maybe he was seeking something more out of her…

Tessa's eye lids slowly began to close as this thought occurred to her, the last thing she saw before drifting into sleep, was a figure standing in the creak of the door.

**I hope everyone enjoyed this Chapter, I spent a lot of time trying to make it the way I wanted it to be!**

**I've also been busy with work and stress so sorry if its not as bad ass as you wanted haha.**

**Please rate and review. I look forward to reading your comments and would enjoy discussing my fanfiction with you all.**

**Does anyone have a guess as to whose standing in the doorway?**


	5. The Hole

Tessa woke up with a jolt, the door, who was at the door? She looked over to where Will had fallen asleep that night, the bed, looked as if no one had ever been there at all. Rubbing her eyes from the haziness of her sleep, Tessa heard soft footsteps coming in her direction; it was Jem.

"Good morning Miss Tessa, I brought you some breakfast, make you feel a little stronger."

"Oh why thank you Jem. I was feeling quite famished." Tessa said looking at the tray of orange juice,

toast with cherry jam, and a few pieces of bacon. Her stomach growled at the delicious food before her. Jem sat the tray down on the side of Tessa's bed and smiled as she eagerly took a bite into her bacon.

"Is it good Miss Tessa?" Jem said smiling. She nodded her head and smiled. They continued small talk until Tessa was finished her food.

"Well good morning Miss Tessa, how did you fair well last night?" Will said as he entered the door with a crooked grin on his face. He rubbed an apple on his blazer and tossed it towards Tessa, unprepared as she was she stared in shock as the apple came closer to her face. She let out a cry just as Jem caught the apple.

"Here you are." He said smiling down at her. "Sorry for William, he doesn't think before he acts."

"Jem! How could you say such an awful thing about me?" William said, acting dramatic placing a hand over his heart. "Are we not brothers? Do we not have a high level of respect for one another?"

"Oh calm down William I was merely joking" William laughed as he sat down besides Jem. Leaning into Jems ear, he started to whisper. Jem's face darkened and he nodded several times before they stood up and promised Tessa they would return shortly.

An hour had passed and neither boy had returned. Boredom had become too unbearable and Tessa decided to get up and explore. She wondered down the long corridor until she came to a dead end. There didn't seem to be anything interesting down this way, she thought as she turned to leave. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nearby room. Tessa tried to scream but her cries were muffled by a strong hand clasped over her mouth.

"Shhhh Tess it's me, it's me Will!" he hissed trying to calm her down. Blinking away her tears she turned around to look at the young man, but as she did, no one was there.

"William?" her voice caught, the cool air breathed down the back of her neck and she could hear screams coming from the room above her. A small hole in the floor above her head, she caught a glimpse of something moving.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" she called. No one answered.

Climbing on a few wooden boxes she was able to look closer through the hole. She jumped as she heard screams and the sound of a chair scraping violently against the wooden floor above. Looking back up into the room above, shutting one eye for better focus Tessa's stomach lurched into her throat.

There, in the room above, Tessa saw, herself.

Strapped to a wooden chair, Tessa was in nothing but her night clothes. Blood spilling from the many wounds that we spread across her body.

Tessa shoved her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream; it was her in the chair, being tortured till she let out monstrous screams. She stared at herself crying for mercy saying over and over again that she did not know anything about the Magister.

Tessa turned to look away, until she saw William and Jem standing over her screaming for answers as they laughed when she cried.

Tears spilled from her grey eyes, Tessa's saviors were now hurting her. Or was this merely a dream? Everything felt so real, the dust in her nose, the pinch of her heels standing on top of the boxes.

Suddenly Will jerked the bloody Tessa in the chair on to the ground, right onto the hole which is peered from. Blood dripped down onto Tessa's face as her and her bloody self made eye contact.

She stared in shock, her weak and in pain version of herself mumbled something and her eye grew wild. Tessa leaned closer to hear what was said. She whispered for her to run; but Tessa just stood there, mouth agape, not knowing what to do. She jumped and ran out of the room while she could hear her own screams of agony following close behind her.

Then she woke up, still in the hospital bed, like she never left.

Hello, sorry for the ridiculously long wait, I have been dealing with many person issues, involving my family and love life. It is late and I wrote this chapter in an hour. It's almost midnight where I am so if you can bear(rawr) with me I will re edit my story very shortly for everyone's enjoyment.

Thank you for all the reviews and encouraging me to continue this story, it really pushed me into writing more.

Thank you all very much


	6. The Gentle

"Tess are you alright? You look rather distressed." William said has he sat next to her on the small hospital bed.

"I….um… I had a bit of a scare. Nightmare is all." Tessa said waving his concern away. William reached over and placed his hand on her back and began to run slowly up and down.

"Tess there's no need for you be to so stiff. Relax your shoulders." William's hand was soft and gentle on her back; she wished he would never stop.

"Will, you must enjoy rubbing other girls so causally." Tessa teased.

"You'd be surprised. I only find joy in casually touching you." Will winked at Tessa, and she let out a small laugh. With the smooth motions of Will's hand, Tessa was starting to doze off, when he stopped abruptly.

"Will?"

"My apologies, I seem to have been staring off." Tessa opened her eyes and looked at Will, who had been looking straight at her. His soft blue eyes were looking right into hers, she could feel her cheeks turning a soft pink and she looked away quickly.

"Tess…. I'm sorry if I am making you uncomfortable…"

"No, you're not! It's just that… I don't know why you would look at me in such a way." Tessa went to cover her face, but Will grabbed her hands and pulled her to up against his chest.

Will placed his index finger under her chin and brought his lips down on hers. The kiss was beautiful and passionate. Something Tessa always wanted from a man. He eased her down onto the bed, his lips were soft on hers but the moment when he was on top of her his kisses grew stronger and softly biting on her lower lip.

Letting Tessa catch her breath, Will moved to kiss and nibble on her neck.

"Will…. I…." Tessa let out a soft moan. She was in heaven. Shoving her hands in his hair, Tessa gasped when William pulled her hospital gown down exposing her breasts. Will kissed down Tessa's neck, and down to her collarbone. With one hand fondling the opposite mound of tender flesh, Will pulled Tessa`s pink bud into his mouth, suckling till he heard Tessa`s moans grow louder.

"Tessa, you can tell me when to stop when you want to…." He breathed against her skin, sending tingles through her spine.

"No… please Will, don't…" Their lips reconnected. Tessa could sense a change in Will; his kisses weren't so loving as before, now they seemed hungry. He kissed her hard enough to bruise her tender lips, forcing her to moan from the intensity. Will ripped apart what was left of Tessa's small white gown, and touched her woman hood. Tessa hissed from the pain causing Will to look down at her with concern.

"Are you alright? Should I call for the nurse?" Will placed his hand on her cheek.

"No…. It just hurts from…. The other night…" Tessa was utterly mortified. She was kissing the most gorgeous man she had ever met, and she was in pain; used goods, surely William would no longer want her now that he was reminded her innocence has been taken already.

"I'm so sorry Tess… I wasn't even thinking…" Will smoothed some hair out of her face, and kissed her cheek. "I will stop if you wish me to" Will kissed her forehead, her nose, her cheek, and then he began kissing her neck. Tessa let out a moan when he bit down lightly on her pale skin.

"Will… Don't stop." Tessa inhaled deeply, the sensation was over whelming, her hands lowering down to Will's belt she used her delicate touch to undo it without Will noticing. He gasped when Tessa moved her hand to them hem of his trousers, slipping them inside.

"Tess… oh by the Angel…" Will moaned in anticipation, when he heard footsteps outside the door.

"Fucking hell." Will hissed jumping up and redoing his belt. "Hurry get under the covers."

Tessa did as she was told and jumped under the covers, as Will jumped to sit on the opposite bed, hands between his legs, trying to cover his large situation.

"Will there you are," Jem said opening the door. "We have a meeting in the dining hall, come now."

Jem turned and left down the hall, Will raised himself off the bed and turned to Tessa and winked. Once Tessa was alone, she wrapped the blankets around herself and went into the bathroom, and splashed cold water on her face.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Tessa thought with a smile. But then a cold realization came to her.

_Am I dreaming?_

**A/N: Sorry this took me so long, I am working on another story as well called Iron Beliefs. **

**I also couldn't for the life of me think of a chapter title. I don't really enjoy this one.**

**Read and Review. **

**Thanks so much for reading my story. Fanfiction'ers all the way!**


	7. The Run

She lay still as stone, on the cold hard ground of the medical ward. Staring up at the high ceiling, counting the stones, the wood, and nails, keeping her eyes open at all times as the dark circles grew under her eyes.

The boys have been away for days now, hearing nothing of them, and speaking to no one, Tessa remained awake for those days in which they were gone. Not from the stress, but from the fear of what would come once she closed her eyes. She was living in limbo, not knowing if everything with Will was a dream, or reality.

They days went by as if they were nothing, she could hear the clicking of the nurses shoes as she walked past her, never stopping to talk to Tessa. The nurse knew what answer she would get from her silence, Tessa had not spoken to anyone since they boys had gone in fear of her being thrown back out onto the streets without her saying goodbye.

…

As the sun began to shine through the windows, and the birds began their soft morning songs, Tessa heard loud footsteps coming from down the hall, loud thunderous, clearly that of a man's.

"Will." She breathed and stood up, eyes fixated on the large doorway, she held her breath, no longer having concern for her breathing, but merely a concern as to if she was dreaming or not.

The door flung open and there in the doorway stood Jem, his face was damp with sweat, his coat drenched in blackness, blackness that smelt revolting. He ran to her and threw a bed sheet over her to keep her warm and hurried out into the hallway.

"Jem what's going on?" she whispered, why she was whispering she did not know.

"I can't begin to explain without you thinking I were mad… You just have to trust me ok?" He said as they reached the large door leading down to a very long and cramped stair case.

Horribly lit, Tessa squinted and looked at Jem trying to make sense of what was going on. He pushed her forward and told her to run as fast as she could, not understanding why this was happening, Tessa stumbled and turned around ready to open her mouth demanding answers when she saw the look on Jems face. His face was dark, hard as stone but still fragile, she knew what was happening, he had lived through it before. Without another thought she started to run, run down the unlit stairwell, hoping she wouldn't trip and fall, hoping that Jem would be safe…. Hope that _Will _would be safe.

With a loud and thunderous boom in the chambers above Tessa stopped dead in her tracks. Tears were streaming down her face, her heart slamming in her chest, the only sound she could hear in the small stairwell.

"Tessa."

A whisper cut through the sound in her ears, teasing the edges of her senses. Closing her eyes she concentrated on the sound.

"Tessa this way."

"Who are you?" Tessa whispered, "I will not go any further unless you present yourself."

"By the Angel Tess it's me!"

"Oh Will!" Tessa cried and started running as fast as her feet would grant her. She heard him running towards her as well, they collided, arms stretched and held onto each other tightly. He smoothed her hair down and kissed her forehead.

"Tessa I am so sorry to have left you for those days, but its urgent that we escape now. I have to get you to safety."

"Why is Jem not with us, why did he stay behind?"

Will swallowed, she could hear the distress in his voice as he talked, "He is buying us time, he will meet us at a safe location when this is all over."

Tessa ran her hand down his arm and found his hand and held it tightly, he squeezed back in response.

They both started to the end of the stairs which led to a small door hidden to the outside by bushes. The light from the sun irritated Tessa's eyes and she shut them momentarily, trying to adjust.

"Will…" she breathed, "Are we going to be ok?"

Will walked forward; his head was hidden by the bright light of the sun, "As long as we have each other."

….

**Hello, I am deeply sorry that I have not updated my story for a long time. Last November, my best friend and first man I ever loved was tragically killed and I have been trying to deal with his loss. I am still nowhere near being okay with everything, but I knew I wanted to keep writing because he always wanted me to follow my dreams. I hope to write a novel about him one day. He was my inspiration and the bright summer sky to my rainy clouded mind. I have loved him for 9 years, and I will continue to do so. I hope you liked this chapter and I enjoy reading all you're messages. Thank you and enjoy.**


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